Semiconductor nanocrystals inside spherical microcavities: A case of quantum dots in photonic dots

Abstract

Quantum dots in photonic dots, a new type of microstructures involving highly luminescent II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals has been proposed and realized by incorporating nanocrystals (quantum dots) into glass and polymeric microspheres. The high quality micron-size microspheres represent simplest fully three-dimensional microcavities (photonic dots). Coupling of discrete electron states of quantum dots and photon states inside photonic dots strongly affects onto both stationary and dynamic photoluminescence properties of nanocrystals. Quantum dots in photonic dots possess a number of interesting optical effects which are demonstrated in this paper. These effects include an increase in radiative recombination rate in the vicinity of ultranarrow photon modes (Purcell effect), room temperature nearly thresholdless lasing; blinking of photon modes; single photon mode switching by single quantum dot emission.